In short, working pays off

Published 6:24 pm, Monday, May 26, 2014

Shelly DeMarsh of Glens Falls makes her way from the Fort William Henry Resort and Conference Center to the Lookout Cafe that she manages Thursday May 22, 2014, in Lake George, NY. (John Carl D'Annibale / Times Union) less

Shelly DeMarsh of Glens Falls makes her way from the Fort William Henry Resort and Conference Center to the Lookout Cafe that she manages Thursday May 22, 2014, in Lake George, NY. (John Carl D'Annibale / ... more

Shelly DeMarsh of Glens Falls in the Lookout Cafe at the Fort William Henry Resort and Conference Center that she manages Thursday May 22, 2014, in Lake George, NY. (John Carl D'Annibale / Times Union)

Shelly DeMarsh of Glens Falls in the Lookout Cafe at the Fort William Henry Resort and Conference Center that she manages Thursday May 22, 2014, in Lake George, NY. (John Carl D'Annibale / Times Union)

Shelly DeMarsh of Glens Falls in the Lookout Cafe at the Fort William Henry Resort and Conference Center that she manages Thursday May 22, 2014, in Lake George, NY. (John Carl D'Annibale / Times Union)

Shelly DeMarsh of Glens Falls in the Lookout Cafe at the Fort William Henry Resort and Conference Center that she manages Thursday May 22, 2014, in Lake George, NY. (John Carl D'Annibale / Times Union)

If you're a retiree or a student, seasonal employment was made for you. The temporary three-month stretch of steady work can be both a perfect break from routine as well as a cash cow. But what if you want that cow around for more than 12 weeks?

Area experts agree that spinning a seasonal job into a permanent one doesn't happen the majority of the time, but a seasonal job can be an excellent training ground as well as a means of networking and building valuable skills to bring to future jobs.

Mike Irish, director of human resources at the Fort William Henry Corp. in Lake George, said the company has about 100 year-round employees and 300-plus seasonal employees. "We have two hotels, several restaurants and gift shops and a museum. Most of our year-round employees work at the hotels. Every now and then, a seasonal employee will transition to year-round."

Irish said it's the employees with better-than-average lpeople skills and reliability tend to catch his eye for year-round positions. "Even in a seasonal situation, it's always good to make the most of the job. Employees need to ask themselves what a good employee is and how can they achieve that," he explained. "I look for basics like being dependable, trustworthy, a good team player, and working well with others. A few basics like these will get you everywhere in life."

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Deb Best, who was human resources director at Trans World Entertainment for nearly 10 years, said seasonal jobs, both in stores and in distribution centers, were always a great pipeline to regular full-time positions.

"It was a great and more authentic way to audition them to be considered as regular employees, because you had the opportunity to see them in action and how they fit in with the rest of the team, rather than in the often-artificial interview environment," said Best, who is now principal and owner of Deb Best Practices, a human resources and career coaching company.

Shelly DeMarsh got her audition last summer when she began working as manager at Fort William Henry's Lookout Cafe. She had also managed a restaurant at a ski area and was planning to return there in the winter when her seasonal work at Fort William Henry was done. Instead, she decided to stay.

"We thought she did such a wonderful job, we kept her on through the winter as a bar manager at the hotel," said Irish.

DeMarsh attributes her promotion to a solid work ethic.

"I just work the way I've always worked at past jobs," she said. "I was at my last job four years and didn't take a sick day."

Jacalyn Geisel, a married mother of two in Clifton Park, grew up in Lake George and said seasonal employment from age 14 through college, shaped her for the better. "Without it, I would not have felt as confident in approaching jobs I had later in life. Summer jobs gave me experience in dealing with various types of bosses, problem-solving skills, and taught me patience in handling difficult people," said Geisel, whose children Greg and Julia now work summer jobs in Lake George. "Throughout my careers, from the manufacturing industry to education, I've been helped by all the challenges I met while working service-oriented jobs when I was a teenager."

And for those not in the teen demographic who want to make the leap from seasonal to year-round employee, Best said a temporary or seasonal job is far better than being unemployed. Hiring authorities like to see that you're currently working.

"There are plenty of traditional summer jobs that offer all kinds of experience, and there are more unusual seasonal jobs like doing tax forms and data entry for the New York State Department of Tax and Finance," she said. "Something like that is great for someone in between working gigs; and it's another potential skill set on the resume. But whatever your job, my advice is go above and beyond, and be indispensable, because your employer will remember you, even if there's no immediate job open."

For Geisel and her family, seasonal employment lays a priceless foundation for the future.

"My husband, Ray, and I have both worked since we were young. Sometimes we're asked why we want our children to PHOwork summers when later they'll be working all the time," she said. "It's for the very reason that they'll be working later in life that we want them to garner experience and skills that will be so useful to them down the road."